1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a stand for supporting a person in a tree. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a tree stand having adjustable arms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tree stands are known to those who desire to observe game in their natural habitat. A tree stand allows a person to elevate one's position off of the ground to a selected height. Tree stands are used by hunters, photographers and nature observers in order to take themselves out of the immediate line of sight and scent of animals on the ground.
Various designs for tree stands are described in the patent literature. Many of these stands employ a main frame for supporting the user, and a pair of arm members that are secured to a tree by a bracket or flexible cable. Two patents that issued in 1991 demonstrate tree stands having a pair of adjustable arms. The first is U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,475 which issued to R. Berkbuegler in February of 1991; the second is U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,063 which issued to R. Bradley in March of 1991. Each of these patents demonstrates a pair of pivoting support arms having adjustable lengths. In each patent, a rotatable sleeve serving as a turnbuckle is provided in order to selectively shorten or lengthen the respective arms. Each of these designs employs a ridged bracket rather than a flexible cable around the tree. In addition, each of these designs requires that adjustments to the arms be made substantially simultaneously in order to prevent the tree stand from becoming unlevel or “out of horizontal.”
A year later, U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,506 issued to Womack, et al. in 1992. This patent is titled “Adjustable Hunter's Tree Stand.” The tree stand of Womack, et al. uses a pair of threaded rods captured between corresponding opposed threaded lugs on each side of stand. Each rod has a threaded nut disposed thereon. Rotation of each threaded rod by a knob thereon results in an adjustment of the position of tree engaging blades. In this way, different tree diameters are accommodated. Womack, et al. thus requires adjustment of a threaded rod on each side of the stand in order to adjust the positioning and level of the stand uniformly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,076 issued to Louk, et al. in 1993. This patent offered a flexible steel cable for conveniently wrapping around the tree. One end of the cable is fixedly secured to a first arm of the tree stand, while the opposite end is selectively secured to an adjustment arm by use of a key or ring inserted through a loop at the end of the cable. While this design does provide an improved method for positioning a tree stand within a tree, once the user is positioned on the tree stand, the position of the tree stand relative to the tree cannot be adjusted. Moreover, micro-adjustments to the length of the cable cannot be made.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,801 issued to Futch in 2001. This patent offers a tree stand design in which the relative position of the support cable along each of the opposing arms can be adjusted. One end is secured by use of a key inserted through a cable loop end and aligned frame holes, while the other end is selectively secured by means of a cable adjustment mechanism. Tightening and loosening the cable is accomplished by sliding the adjustment mechanism along a cable adjusting guide. However, the adjustment to the cable length must again be made when the user's weight is removed from the frame. This design further has certain limitations in terms of complexity and expense of manufacture incident to the moving parts, and may be too noisy for its purpose for discretely observing wild game in the woods.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,325 recently issued in 2003 to Ulrich. This tree stand design also employs a flexible cable to secure a frame to a tree. The opposing ends of the cables are attached to respective support arms of the tree stand frame. One end of the cable is attached to a “coarse adjustment” arm which involves a cable loop secured at a selected point along a first arm by a pin member. This is referred to as a “coarse adjustment.” The other end is secured to the eye of an eye bolt, which in turn is moved by adjusting a knob. This is referred to as an “infinitesimally fine adjustment.” Thus, the relative positions of the cable ends to the support arms are adjustable. However, the position of the arms relative to the frame is fixed, that is, the arms do not appear to pivot. This serves as a limitation to the flexibility of the tree stand. Further, the knob may be difficult for some users to manipulate and may even be too fine.
A need therefore remains for an improved tree stand design having adjustment arms. Further, a need exists for an improved tree stand design wherein one end of a flexible support cable is selectively connected to a pivoting macro-adjustment arm, while the other end of the cable is connected to an easily manipulated pivoting micro-adjustment arm. A need further exists for such a tree stand wherein fine-tuning of the cable tension can be accomplished while the tree stand supports the weight of the user. Further, a need exists in one aspect for a seated tree stand which better accommodates the girth of the user.